We rode undetected and undisturbed during the day, often riding through darkened pine forests that hugged the coastline, our movements blending in with the shadows. Dusk crept upon us as we approached our destination, the occasional song of a bird the only sound echoing in the forest. My eyes widened in awe as we approached a grassy field. The breeze flowed gently through the blades of grass, hues of purple drifting along from the flowers scattering them. I noticed a small spring to one side, its silver water bubbling as it lapped at the surrounding stone.
Sébastien gave a slight pull on the reins, slowing our motion as we stopped in front of the field. I stared at the towering stone structure in front of us. The top nearly matched the height of the pine trees we had traveled through all day. Oval in shape, the stone was covered front and back with markings inked on its surface, intricate detailing and lines, some matching the lines we had on our own wrists.
Sébastien broke our silence as we dismounted. “I will go into detail soon, but for now, copy my movements and repeat after me.”
I nodded with confusion, yet I did what he asked as I followed closely behind his every step. His movements stopped in front of the stone as he looked over at me before lifting his palms and placing them against the surface. Hesitating for a moment, I glanced between him and the stone before lifting my palms and copying the motion.
Shock flooded through me—the stone was hot to the touch, vibrating beneath my palms. Magic, I realized. The hum of power radiating through the stone drew me in, my mind hazing slightly as I forced myself to listen to the words flowing from Sébastien’s lips, repeating them. I looked around us, as the words fell from our lips, the sky darkening above us, the winds whipping in a circular motion around the grassy opening, the gales picking up as the towering stone glowed brightly through the darkened expanse. The markings on the stone began to glow, sunset hues drifting off the stone into the air surrounding us.
A sharp pain in my wrist caused me to glance down. The same red-orange hue of glow leaked from the ink around my wrist. I watched the particles of ink stretch off my skin, drifting over to him. Sébastien’s hand reached out, and the glowing ink flowed up from our wrists, floating and twining together as our palms joined. The ink danced in the air, twisting as it entwined before floating its way through to the stone, entering it as the vibration grew louder, rumbling the ground beneath us.
“Now!” Sébastien’s voice commanded as he took a step forward, yanking me along with him. His free arm reached out to the stone as he pushed his arm through the space, his body was swallowed as he walked through the stone. What on Vanaiyer is happening?! My mind panicked as I felt his grip on my hand pulling me through the stone with force before I had time to process what was happening.
Slamming into his chest, I froze. My head whipped around, panicked, yet everything appeared normal. We stood in the same grassy field, with the same flowers, with the same silver spring, but something was off. I just couldn’t place what it was. Pushing off Sébastien’s chest, I glared at him. “What the fuck was that?”
His low chuckle filled the air as his gaze met mine. “That, princesse, was the beginning of the bonding ritual.” He began walking, assuming I would follow him. I stayed firmly in place, as I looked around with confusion, cataloging each detail while I scanned the area.
The sky was dark, yet no longer with a stormy vengeance brewing. It was a clear night sky, the dark blue hues peaceful with stars scattering the space. The winds had died down, and the field was alive with the songs of forest creatures. Any glow from the stone had disappeared, the vibrations and humming noise vanished without a trace.
“If you would just follow me, I told you I would explain.” The disgruntled rumble came from across the field. Sighing, I took off after him.
“You know,” I snapped back. “If you just told me what was happening to begin with, it would save me from always being confused.” I was annoyed that he never kept me in the loop. “It’s my life too. Might have been nice to know you started the bonding process.”
Glancing over his shoulder, he replied with a devilish smirk, “And do tell. Where would the fun be in that?”
I stopped as I stared at the entrance to a cave. A cave I could have sworn wasn’t here when we first arrived. “Ok. I know this wasn’t here. What’s going on? How is the land changing?”
Sébastien’s icy blue gaze clashed with mine as he leaned against the side of the cave, gesturing for me to sit down. The warmth of the stone seeped through me as I regarded him. “You might have noticed. We took no guards, no extra protection, the bare minimum when traveling here.” I nodded as I stared at him. I had thought it was odd that with all the concern over the Nordak, we traveled alone.
“Caperdov is a sacred place of magic. From the outside, it appears just as you saw it, a grass field with a small spring. To enter as we did, you must have completed the three phases of wolvyn bonding. When we placed our hands on the Stone of Dov, the ink bled through, the magic of this place drawing it out and accepting it. By stepping through, we have accepted that we are bonded.”
“Wait.” I growled. “We accepted this bond. Without you even telling me what we were doing?!” I shrieked. “Don’t you think I at least deserved to know that?”
Sébastien drew closer, his muscled frame towering over mine. “Would that have changed the outcome, princesse?”
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. This was a discussion for later. I needed more answers first.
“When a bonded couple enters into the Caperdov, a seal of magic is spread across the place. In truth, this is the safest place for you to be as your powers awaken. The seal created by the magic is impenetrable by outside forces.”
“There’s no guarantee that the power will awaken while we're here,” I replied as I held Sébastien’s gaze.
“No,” he simply replied. “But my father predicts that the power channeled into you will awaken here, the call of the surrounding magic and the bond calling it out. When it does, you will need to be prepared. The power in that pendant will be unlike any power in the realm—a combination of four of the Vanaiyer lands. I won’t be able to teach you how to harness each of the powers, but I will be able to teach you to use your wolvyn power once it comes through from the power release.”
I stayed silent, processing his words. It was a lot to take in, especially that my sister left just the day before, the bond, the new power I supposedly gained, the fact that I would no longer be a mortal, the death wishes people had for me now. I mean, give a girl a break. “So, what now?”
“This cave leads deep underground. If we follow this path, it will take us to the Lyte Dov, which is where the bonding ritual is cemented.”
Staring into the darkened opening further inside the cave, a chill radiated from its depths as I gestured toward the looming entrance. “Well then, after you, Your Highness.”
* * *
The tunnels we had been trekking through began to grow lighter, the chilled air evaporating as I followed Sébastien to a stop inside a hollowed-out room. Glancing around, I saw the expanse was bare, no furniture or objects in place, as though it was a deserted room. The stone walls and flooring were covered with dark, blueish black ink that seemed alive as it moved across the expanse. I could feel the same low hum and vibrations rising from the stone. A sound I had begun to recognize occurred when larger amounts of magic were dispelled. Rounded walls funneled up, circling higher to an open point. The jagged opening provided a full display of the night sky, the moon almost directly overhead as the twinkle of the stars glowed brightly, bouncing off the stone.
“What is this place?” I said in awe as I took in our surroundings.
“Welcome to Lyte Dov.” Sébastien’s voice echoed across the stone as he spoke. “The most sacred and powerful place in all of Verastarr. The power held in this one room outmatches even the power of the four rulers that you have received.”
A gasp fell from my lips as I circled the room, feeling the power rolling throughout the space. “With so much power, why have the Nordak not attempted to break through the barriers for its power?”
Sébastien’s ice-blue eyes darkened as his gaze met mine. “This, princesse, is the most well-kept secret in Verastarr,” he stated with an air of smug pride. “Even if they knew of Caperdov, it can only be accessed by wolvyn. Fully Bonded Wolvyn. The pair must enter willingly and the power within would expel any additional people who attempt to cross the threshold.”
“I’m not wolvyn, though,” I stated with slight confusion.
“You may not be wolvyn yet, but the wolvyn power was given to you when you shattered the pendant. Don’t underestimate the strength of primal magic. Caperdov can feel the power in you, enough to accept that you will be wolvyn.”
“Who controls the magic found here?” I questioned as I gestured broadly to the room we were standing in.
Sébastien chuckled as he watched me. “No one. The magic found here is primal magic. It’s very existence stems from the beginning of times. It was always just meant to be. A force of its own to recon with.”
I nodded in understanding as I stood near the center of the cave and further questioned, “What happens next?”
He walked slowly toward me, his eyes tracing my every movement as his motion halted, his body inches from mine. “Next, princesse, we let the bond cement.”
I held Sébastien’s gaze, the intensity of the moment building. My lips yearned to feel the firm pressure of his, and my thoughts wandered as his gaze swallowed mine, heat flooding through me. He reached out with his hand, the ink coming alive across his tanned skin as the moon reflected off it. “Are you ready to dance with destiny?”
Sucking in a deep breath of air, I gingerly placed my palm within his extended one, trusting him fully with my life and my future. His fingers entwined with mine as he shifted our palms, holding them in the center of the room. I held Sébastien’s gaze as the moon rose, fitting perfectly in the cave opening.
The temperature dropped rapidly, shivers coursing through my body as goosebumps scattered my skin. I gasped as I noticed the ink from the top of the cave begin to come alive, a bluish white light filling it as though the moon had cried tears that leaked into the ink. Slowly, the glow began to sink in, trickling down the walls. The intricate designs carved throughout the cave now beamed like the moon as the glow descended, swallowing more of the room.
Sébastien and I stood in silenced awe as we watched the glow of power approach us, covering every inch of stone, before snaking up our bodies, illuminating the inkings across our own skin. The moment both our wrists were entirely filled, glowing with a bluish hue, a familiar pain seared across our wrists. A pain I had begun to recognize as part of the bonding process. A warm gust of wind blew across the cave, warming our chilled skin as it swept across the glowed inkings, picking them up.
The whirlwind grew stronger, Sébastien’s hand tightening its hold on mine as the gusts blew around us, the ink removing itself from the wall, dancing around us as it flew in circles. The humming increased as the ground shook below us, vibrating with the power flowing from it. Moonlight flooded in the cave. With every second the moon appeared closer than it should, the wind whipping by us. The glowing ink rose, transcending high above our heads, building and building.
As though time froze, the wind stopped. The glowing marks were held in place near the mouth of the opening, and the only sounds heard were the ragged breaths slipping from our lips as I glanced up in confusion. The pain dissolved from my wrist; in its place, thin linework connected the three designs, trapping and bonding them together.
My skin began to increase in temperature, unbearable heat coursing through me. I watched as my skin started to glow, a low gold color radiating from me, boiling my insides. I glanced at Sébastien, noting his skin was untouched. Suddenly, time unfroze. The wind descended in a sharp downward spiral. The gusts of wind whipped around us with increased intensity.
“Don’t let go!” Sébastien’s voice snapped through the air. “The bond is almost completed, but your magic is trying to break through.” His words faded as the wind carried them away. My eyes widened in shock as I realized what was happening before snapping up as the onslaught of glowing ink rushed down, some markings dancing around us. My skin climbed in temperature, golden cracks emerging on the surface as though the power was threatening to break through from inside me.
As if it had a mind of its own, the wind twisted faster, funneling the inkings into a spear as they hurled down toward our entwined wrists. Like arctic ice blasts, the black ink pelted into our entwined hold and seeped in. The pinpricks of pain were indiscernible compared to the raging heat of the power struggling to break free from my body. My skin glowed brighter as the power from the bonding ritual assaulted us, our stances weakening as the wind tormented on. My grip slipped from Sébastien’s as we continued to be battered, my body exhausted from the war it raged against the power coming through.
The ground rumbled as a bright flash flew through the room, throwing us to the ground, my head cracking against the stone. The blue glow of ancient ink vanished, leaving behind empty stone walls without a trace of ink on their rough surfaces. The wind silenced as my skin burst with a golden glow, my body alight with a raging fire of heat as the power surfaced within me, taking hold. Abruptly, my vision went dark.